Comments on: What Causes Swirl Marks?http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/
Auto Detailing Knowledge From Elite Pro DetailersTue, 26 Sep 2017 21:47:59 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.2By: wilsonhttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-248250
Mon, 26 Jun 2017 09:35:04 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-248250Swirl mark happens on all types of car and it is caused due to various reason. First of all, you have to dust it and then wipe it with wet cloth.
]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-230497
Sun, 15 Jan 2017 17:16:47 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-230497Detailing spray wax sounds interesting. Assume its used after simple wash?
]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-221678
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 04:05:10 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-221678Very helpful, thank you. I wish you were in SCAL. Its obvious I’m going to be an amateur at best. I would be better off backing off and paying for the service!
]]>By: Ivan Rajichttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-221674
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 03:43:41 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-221674John you’re correct that it’s not simple at all. To answer your questions…
Using an alcohol or similar product wipedown before sealant will make it last longer and is the right way to do things. However, this may be very time consuming for some people and the durability you sacrifice may be worth the time you save.
Most products work well together, especially if applied weeks or months apart. However, contacting the manufacturer is your best bet at getting a clear answer
I wouldn’t recommend using M105 more than 1-2 years and 205 1-2 times per year. You’re better off using something more mild to simple improve light wash marring and swirls. Sonax Perfect finish and CarPro Essence work really well for this to slightly cut and slightly hide swirls to make paint look better.

Hope that helps.

]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220846
Sun, 30 Oct 2016 21:07:56 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220846I really appreciate your advice and the Sonax product appears to
get great reviews on YouTube. I will try it.

For regular maintenance, do you have a sequence you recommend
following?

This question may seem obvious but i’ve found that reading /
watching YouTube raises my awareness that detailing is not a simple
process.

In ”wax tests” the procedure appears to be to wash, clay and
alcohol rinse before applying product. Is this procedure
recommended before any waxing? If not, how do you identify products
that can be applied over other products?

Last regarding swirl removal, I used M105 (orange pad) followed by
M205 (white pad). I’m aware that M205 cuts, so, how often would you
recommend using this product? You mentioned ”correction” once a
year which sounds like you don’t recommend a lot of buffing with
products like 105 or 205?

]]>By: Ivan Rajichttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220715
Sat, 29 Oct 2016 14:39:27 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220715Yes John that’s pretty much the case with all black cars. Having a metallic is probably at least 3-4x better than a pure gloss black because metallic is more resistant, but will still show a lot more than other colors.

Another thing to consider is that you may have not removed as many swirl marks as you originally thought because both polish and wax will help hide some swirl marks. In other words, the damage you saw after a few days may have been only partially due to your methods of cleaning it and the rest left over from before that you didn’t see right after the detail job.

Lastly, in response to your other questions… We don’t really deal or have experience with products that fill or hide swirls, but one product I know for sure makes things look better is the Sonax High Speed Wax. We use this and recommend for clients with black cars (mainly non-metallic) that either 1. have thinner paint and shouldn’t correct it yearly like they would like or 2. have to wash it often (we have a couple clients in the limo and taxi industry that wash and wipe cars 2-10x daily). It helps hide swirl marks and add gloss, so it may be something you should try out and use in between polishing/correcting it.

Hope that helps.

]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220584
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 03:36:49 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220584One more question which may be of more interest to others. Since seeing swirls drives me nuts, is there any reason not to do my best to avoid but them but then to use a product that ”hides” the swirls?
]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220581
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 03:28:28 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220581Thank you for the reply. I’m living with my first black car, a BMW – black sapphire metallic and it seems that if I breathe on it I create a problem. What brought this up is that I buffed out light swirls present when I took delivery of the car with about 95% success. I polished and I waxed. A few days later I used Meguairs detailer to remove dust and was rewarded with more ”damage.” Obviously that was before I read your warning about not using QD products, at least, I assume (?) until the car is washed and the surface cleaned.
]]>By: Ivan Rajichttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220573
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:18:56 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220573The point of the wax is to protect the finish, minimize swirl marks and make it easier to clean, all of which work together. Without wax, more stuff would settle on the paint and it would also be harder to remove since it’s on a non-slick surface. Sure wax won’t prevent swirl marks, but it can definitely make them less severe and minimize them. Hope that makes sense.
]]>By: John Davishttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-220479
Thu, 27 Oct 2016 04:50:19 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-220479If a coat of wax will not protect the clear coat from being scratched with even gentle use of QD products, then what is the point of wax?
]]>By: Reece @ DIhttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-210524
Fri, 24 Jun 2016 13:55:13 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-210524Corsia – Swirl marks on brand new vehicles are unfortunately very common. Ive seen it with cars sitting at dealerships around here way too often. There are many things that can cause swirl marks, but from what I have seen from some dealerships here is that they wipe snow off the car with a large broom, take the car through a traditional brush car wash, use dirty wash mitts if they clean the cars themselves instead of using a car wash, if the car is wrapped in plastic when being shipped to them, dirt can be trapped underneath and cause scratches, etc. If the car was not wrapped and it is being shipped on a truck, just think of all the dirt hitting the paint that can cause marks, and then if the driver wiped the car down without a quick detailer or clean microfiber towel that could cause issues as well.
]]>By: Vassihttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-210399
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 22:59:27 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-210399Great information here Ivan, thank you. I was interested to learn more for myself and because recently we had a customer who mentioned that she had noticed swirl marks on her car after it was delivered. I was interested to learn how swirl marks happen because we have never had that happen before. Maybe a scratch or leak, but not swirl marks. She said she had noted them at delivery as f someone has wiped the hoot with a abrasive towel. Because I really could not imagine a car carrier driver wiping a car with anything abrasive I was a bit shocked. I don’t really know much about car paints and waxes. What could be the reason behind swirl marks appearing at delivery of a vehicle, after unloading off of car carrier trailer? I suppose that something else could have been the reason for these swirl marks, not just maybe the truck driver wiping the car with a towel right? Thanks!

Vassi
Corsia Logistics

]]>By: Ivan Rajichttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-196440
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 04:53:03 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-196440Unless it’s a very powerful gas powered pressure washer, you should be fine. However, even with an electric 1200-1500psi you can take off paint if it’s peeling or badly painted in the first place. I’ve seen this happen on wheel wells, wheels and actual panels of a car. As for bug guts, I’m no expert but we normally use a mild bug/tar remover along with the pressure washer. Seems to work very well.
]]>By: Christinehttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-195946
Tue, 12 Jan 2016 06:40:44 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-195946Very informative article! I was wondering what your opinion is with using a pressure washer. Would it hurt the paint if used before washing to get rid of the larger debris? Of course I wouldn’t use it full force. Also, what is the best way to remove dried bug guts without damage? Maybe you’ve written another article on this, I haven’t checked. If so maybe you can put a link in your reply? Thanks for any advice!
]]>By: Reece @ DIhttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-192831
Thu, 10 Dec 2015 15:22:54 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-192831It is hard to say for sure that the staff would be or would not be able to correct the swirls without knowing the staff personally. What I can say is that we have found that many dealers will just take the car to a car wash, apply a product to fill in imperfections and/or will only do more damage when trying to fix them. We would highly recommend finding a high end detailer (http://www.detailedimage.com/Find-a-Detailer/) in your area and at the bare minimum get his opinion on it. Again this is not the same for all dealers and their detailing staff, but if they skipped even washing the roof it is not a good sign.
]]>By: Debbie DeMosshttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-192824
Thu, 10 Dec 2015 14:58:45 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-192824Ok, my question is that I bought a truck in the evening hours and due to construction at the lot most cars were covered in dust, I brought the truck back the next day to get it detailed, the young salesman took the truck to the shop and his idea of detail must have been to hose it off, wipe it off or something because it came back showing all the swirls in the paint…then I told the manager I was upset with the condition I was unable to see the night I purchased it…he told me he would have it fixed on Monday, I took the truck home and washed the windows and got on a step ladder, I then saw the salesman didn’t wash the roof of the truck….I am very upset at the lack of knowledge on the salesman part how to detail a truck…I want to know if anyone really thinks they can fix these swirls with the staff that does the car lots detail work?
]]>By: Philliphttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-187149
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:21:13 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-187149Great article!
]]>By: DENNIS BLMLIMEhttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-187105
Wed, 14 Oct 2015 12:15:15 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-187105When car dusty, not dirty, just hose it off. I never hand dry my c7 Corvette. I use a blower.
I also will use my soap gun, lather up the car, then hose off & dry with blower. I never touch the car using this method
]]>By: Ivan Rajichttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-131624
Mon, 05 Jan 2015 05:37:59 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-131624Tony, for the cover I would say if you HAVE to use it, then you simply have to use it. In this case the possibility of swirl marks is far less important than protecting the car with the cover, so you need to simply make sure both the car and cover are as clean as possible when you put it on. Also, make sure you remove it as little as possible or not at all before it’s ready to leave storage.

As for the protection, you can go either way, completely up to you. I personally prefer to put a couple of coats of sealant with a coat of wax before winter, then use wax throughout the warmer months and repeat the cycle in late fall. With the paint coatings such as 22ple, GlossCoat, etc., I have for the past few years completely eliminated the sealant/wax process and would simply polish and coat every 1-2 years, then use a spray wax/sealant every 2-4 months to keep it looking good and protected.

]]>By: Tony Italiahttp://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/what-causes-swirl-marks/#comment-128655
Fri, 26 Dec 2014 19:43:18 +0000http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/?p=7405#comment-128655I will be storing car for months, but have to use a cover. No chance to rewash car when get to storage. I sit okay to have simple cover on? It is indoors and no wind. Temp min, 40 degrees. Simple flannel/fleece cover necessary in storage.

Also, should I put a fourth coat of SG on or first coat of s100 wax, then restart in spring with a complete cycle.